Heretofore the use of pulse oximeter probes has been limited to the use of a costly reusable probe, which is contaminated by use on a patient, or cheaper, single-use probes, which, in the aggregate, amount to a considerable expenditure for a health care institution. The present invention relates to a method of making and affixing a reusable probe to a patient by means of disposable bandage apparatus so that there is no contact between the costly, reusable portion of the probe and the patient. The contaminated bandage apparatus, which is relatively inexpensive, can then be discarded after single patient use and the probe can be re-used with a new bandage apparatus.
Other individuals have attempted to convert single use probes into multi-use probes through a lamination process. In that process, the original adhesive material is removed from the original manufacturer's sensor. The sensor is then laminated in a plastic sheath and the entire sheath is then inserted into a transparent, adhesive-backed sleeve, which is then adhered to a patient. After use, the probe can then be extracted from the sleeve and inserted into a new sleeve for use on another patient.
There are certain disadvantages to this method. Firstly, it is difficult to insert the flexible laminated sensor into a long sleeve. Secondly, the thickness of a laminated sensor inside of a sleeve makes it difficult to bend around, and to stick properly to, a human appendage. Thirdly, transmission and reception of infrared light can be affected by extraneous light entering from the sides of the sleeve. And fourthly, there is some dispute as to the affect on infrared light transmission when passing through the sleeve and the adhesive material coupled thereto.